WAYNE, NEW JERSEY -- This retailer had posted a sale on their website and sent subsequent emails to solicit sales. The Ad ran – “20% off your regular-priced toy purchase of $100 or more.” I then looked at the “details” of this ad to make sure that I was in compliance with the items I selected to purchase. I was even suspicious of this deal and decided to call the 800-869-7787 number to verify that I would get the sale prices for this transaction. When I got a hold of a man, and after numerous sessions of being on hold, he assured me that I would get the 20% taken off after I make the purchase.

I was curious to see how they would “charge me back” the discount as the man stated they would. I clicked send order on the web order and waited for the discount but it did not come. I decided to call back and confirm that this was protocol. A woman answered and said that the discount is displayed in the shopping cart when you are placing the order IF IT IS A PRODUCT THAT QUALIFIES FOR THE DISCOUNT. I asked her, “How do I differentiate if something is on sale or not?” She said that I have to keep adding items to my cart to see if the discount is shown.

The items in my cart did not match any of the items listed in the details of the sale announcement. The original order was placed at 7:32 pm on 8/13/2012. I called back a third time at 9:30 pm the same night and spoke to ** (the only person kind enough to share a name) and requested that the order be terminated. He was quick to tell me that he cannot cancel the order at his level, but he would have to send it to a supervisor. This is 2 hours after the original order was placed.

He told me that there is a possibility that he will not be able to cancel the order and that he could send me a shipping label via email to ship the purchase back. He informed me that it will take two days to get the email to send the shipment back. I received a reference number from ** ref # **, hopefully to check on my order termination.

Toys R Us has created an impossible-to-win shell game with its online customers. Everyone that plays this game will lose while TRU gets positive sales. The level of difficulty to take advantage of this sale is so high that everyday people easily give in. These tactics are shameful and I will not allow TRU to take advantage of me.

I desire to see Toys R Us company redesign their online sales website and make it easy for their customers to see which items are on sale and which are not by adding clearer language, icons and text. Target, Walmart and other honorable retailers have done it, so I know it is possible. If they would like to sell me the products above for $124.51, that would be a good faith effort to show that they take this accusation seriously and are willing to fix these problems.

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Toys R Us Magic Blue 160 GB Asus Disney Netpal Issue

By nikkibaby11 - 12/29/2010

Hello. I have to tell you that dealing with Toys R Us has really made me very disappointed. I picked up a computer (Disney Asus Netpal, Magic Blue, 160 gb) for our son's 7th birthday. I got it 10-25 since it was on sale and was able to do it for X-mas, his birthday is 12-26. The store in Downer's Grove, IL put it aside and I picked it up. The receipt said Blue netbook, so it was never questioned. Fast forward to birthday. The computer in the box was pink. Over the next 2 days, we called every Toys R Us, waiting patiently for each one, knowing it was busy after the holidays- at least 3-4 hours were spent on this.

We went to the store in Aurora who said they had it, only to get there and find it was the 16 gb blue. The numbers, sku numbers... were consistently mismarked. Today, Bloomingdale (45 min. away) said they had it, after they checked many things. I asked the man in electronics, who, by the way, was very nice, to be absolutely sure and look in the box that it was 160 gb since we kept encountering discrepancies. He assured me he did this. My husband drove out there. It was the blue 16 gb.

I called and the man told me he was sorry- he didn't really look. He went by the numbers even after I told him we had found many issues with this. This was over 2 hours of unnecessary travel and wait time. I called the main number and spoke to **. 7-10 days before we would be contacted. This would run into our 45-day return time. Corporate would call. So winter break will be over and our son won't get to work on his new computer, and now, we can't find it anywhere else. She said she'd escalate it. I called again and spoke to ** who felt bad and understood the boxes and numbers were wrong and assured us it would be resolved.

I have dealt with many corporations. Today, 12-29, I called the main number again and requested a supervisor. ** gave me the supervisor as well as a ref. number which I had not been given previously. I spoke to ** who was nice until the end. She said they cannot check inventory with an item number but must check each individual store and then checked 20 different stores. She said I could return the computer and rebuy it if it comes in again (at the regular price, not the sale price I got it at) or get a store credit since it's opened (but it was to be blue and when opened was pink).

I felt this was very Toys R Us friendly and not consumer friendly. Now my money would be tied up at Toys R Us preventing me from going to another store and I wouldn't even get the sale price if it came in later. She was basically, "Well, that's our policy." Plus, I'd have to go to the store I got it at (45 min. away) and not just any Toys R Us. It's amazing how it was their error (the receipt and box appear to have the blue one but in the box is pink).

She gave me a number for the Asus manuf. who I called. I was told that many pink 160 gb Disney netpals were bought from them but NO blue ones. Now, I was wondering what was going on and what would I be waiting for? Did they ever even have the blue 160 gb? This is a store that professes to be for kids yet they do not take into account how to deal with people. I truly hope this gets resolved.

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I Work for Toys R US, Ask Me Anything.

By TRUFORU - 10/06/2009

TEXAS -- I've been working for the company for a few years now I will not give out any more personal info than that, so do not ask. But I WILL be more than happy to share my experiences and attempt to answer any questions! I don't particularly care for the company, but over the years, I've come to realize most of the people who whine and moan are complete morons (not all but most). However, I do admit that the return policy could be better (allow store credit on unopened gifts that are resalable.)

Corporate has been steadily cutting back on benefits and pay and general care for its employees. Even it's upper management is in the same boat hell, even the corporate people are getting canned left in right (with the recent internal restructuring of the company). It seems to me like they are desperately trying to salvage the little that is left in hopes of pulling through and stay afloat in this Walmart dominated era or enough to make it appealing to sell off or make public again.

My personal experiences have been both good and bad as far as an employee goes, it's a job what can I say. Some of the practices such as bombarding guests with add-ons like buyer protection plans and loyalty cards and such, but if you notice, most other specialty retailers (Best Buy and Office Max for example) do the same thing and with good reason too; it's one of the few things Walmart doesn't do that's providing a ledge for the specialty retailers to hold on to.

IN THE END, it really depends where you live and which store you shop at. I've met TRU employees (corporate and non) from different parts of the country and 99% of the time, everyone tells different stories on how their stores function. (Some do this, some don't do that. Some have never heard of this nor have they ever seen that.) All kinds of things, from how they handle returns to how they stock the shelf, so experiences are bound to vary from location to location. We're not McDonald where a Big Mac tastes the same wherever you go.

ALL I HAVE TO SAY is READ THE RETURN POLICY! Don't be an illiterate helpless waste of space and read the goddamn information at your disposal. If you DON'T LIKE the rules, then don't shop there (even though most places now have similar return policies, it's not the 1990's anymore people, not even Walmart or home-depot do no receipt returns anymore). DON'T BE A DOUCHEBAG to the employees who are just trying to make a living and or need some extra cash on the side, it's not their fault.

WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND and I've seen that to be true time and time again. If you're not an ** to people, you will find that things work out well in your favor most of the time; you'll encounter people like me who are willing to walk the extra mile to make someone smile.

P.S. If I misspelled something, read between the lines and use some basic 4th grade reading skills. It's called context clues and figure out what I meant. It's not that hard; God forbid someone make some typing errors.

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Terrible (or Typical) Customer Service

By EricMarch - 07/04/2008

In May of 2008 I purchased a swing set for my son's birthday (In July) from ToyRUs.com as it was on special for $100.00 off. Normally, I would never purchase something so large online, but they were out of stock at all my local stores. I immediately received an email telling me that they were out of inventory but that my item would ship as soon as they received more in stock.

In June, I called to get a status on the item and to see if there was any movement and was told not to worry that there was stock of the item and I should be receiving mine shortly. I was told that they would contact the shipping department and get back to me ASAP. I went on holidays without a concern that my swing set would be delivered. Boy was I wrong. I returned from holidays and it still hadn't been delivered, so I contacted them once again. As soon as I reached someone in customer service and told them my order number, they told me that they would have to cancel my order.

CANCEL MY ORDER?!?! "I don't understand. I ordered this item in MAY, it is now July and now you're telling me that you have to cancel my order???” I'm sure you can imagine my state of mind as this customer non service person told me, all while apologizing, that my order had to be cancelled.

I asked if there was anything she could do and explained that it was for my son's birthday in July and that they've really left me hanging. She told me that I could go to the local store as they now had stock and I could purchase one there for $100.00 more than I paid online. I was shocked. I told her that they had not had any stock at the store when I made my purchase and that the company had sent their inventory to the store rather than to their customers that had already paid for the item.

I asked if she could contact the store on my behalf and explain to them the situation and see if they would be willing to make good on the purchase. She told me that she couldn't do anything, so I asked for her supervisor. After being placed on hold for 20 minutes, I was then hung up on (Just to add to the frustration). I called back and spoke to another useless customer non service person and asked to speak to a supervisor and had to explain my entire story all over again, and this new person suggested that I shouldn't be buying swing sets online (Nice!!), and then finally passed me through to a supervisor.

I assumed that talking to a supervisor would help. I assumed that Toysrus.com might care for one second about a customer (with 2 very small children / customers) that was done wrong by THEIR online site, but of course, they didn't. The supervisor told me that even though they have the item in inventory at the store level and even though it was entirely their fault that there was nothing, absolutely nothing she could do to help me. So I asked her what my next step would be and she told me to write a letter.

On one hand, I know it is not the fault of a specific Toys R Us employee, but one the other, if this is happening as much as it is happening, then shouldn't they be taking it further up the chain to tell their bosses how unhappy consumers are with their service? What is my incentive to purchase from their store again? I would honestly rather spend more money at another retailer that is willing to go the extra mile or to at least act like my problems are a concern for them than have to deal with the arrogance of a company like Toys R Us.

Never purchase from ToysRUs.com. Go to a store, get the product in hand, make sure it hasn't been open before. Even better buy from WalMart, Costco, Sam's Club as they all have excellent return policies. Good Luck. An Ex-Toys R US Customer.

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Hidden Hold Fees on Account When Making Online Purchases

By Shelly - 11/25/2013

Rating: 1/51

CROSSVILLE, TENNESSEE -- Toys R Us will bill twice when Items ship separately. I placed an order for less than 100.00 dollars, and the following few days, I had different charges showing up in my bank account as each item shipped at different times. When I spoke with Toys R Us, they said the initial payment of 99.81 was just a hold on the account and that each item will be billed as it is shipped. Although it does not tell you this when you are making the purchase, I was informed that somewhere in the depths of the Toys R Us Website, this policy exist.

I only use this checking account for online purchases, so therefore, I only had the money in the account to cover the purchase items, not twice as much as the purchase items. When you call customer service, they just tell you that the hold will not come off the account until the last item is shipped. WELL, YOU GOT IT. THE LAST ITEM HAS NOT SHIPPED, and now my account has been hit with four different shipping bills including the initial total payment I made when I purchased the items.

My account is in the red since I only use the account for specific purchases and the supposed hold won't drop off my account until last item ships. I have paid now more for the toys in NSF fees than the toys cost me. This is a terrible company for online purchases. I just want people to be aware to have twice as much in your account if you are planning on shopping with Toys R Us this holiday season.

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False Advertising/Cancelling Orders

By Janna - 12/18/2012

Rating: 1/51

MILLSTONE, NEW JERSEY -- Toys R Us has been and still is offering great deals on "Nerf" products. Based on these prices, I placed my Holiday Order's through the Toys R Us website the first week of December 2012. All of the items I ordered were listed as "In-Stock" and were said to be delivered before Christmas. I am now (less than a week before Christmas) getting emails from Toys R Us indicating that they have cancelled some of my items, saying they are "Unavailable". I went online to order these items elsewhere, only to discover the prices were (in some cases) over $100 more than what Toys R Us was (Is) advertising them for!!! I will never order from Toys R Us again.

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Toys R Us' Hypocritical Censorship on Facebook

By rowena106675 - 12/07/2011

WAYNE, NEW JERSEY -- The Toys R Us Facebook page is being flooded with posts from frustrated customers complaining of false advertising, canceled orders while payment was still being held and "merchandise credit" being offered when a REFUND was requested. But to save face, Toys R Us has methodically been deleting several negative posts and comments, and when confronted on it, they give an auto-response.

However, I have personally taken several screenshots of comments before they were deleted to show proof that they did not contain any of the supposedly prohibited content. Unbelievably, comments that actually DO contain offensive words (such as **) that have NOT been deleted, but completely left ALONE. That's when I decided to create my own Facebook Page, "Boycott Toys R Us," a place where people can give their testimonies without having their stories being deleted and "swept under the rug."

Because of the amount of traffic the site has received from angry customers, Toys R Us has now BLOCKED us and several of our members from posting on their page, and is now attempting to report our page as "abusive" or "spammy." We have broken no rules or guidelines; our comments on Toys R Us Facebook page were in response to upset customer's posts, encouraging them to share their stories on our page, and even offering congratulatory comments in responses to posts detailing exceptional customer service by Toys R Us staff!

It is not only offensive to us that we are being blocked for not breaking any rules, but are being denied our right to Freedom of Speech. Facebook is a social media site designed for people to communicate with each other, and businesses should not have the right to "hide" information that they deem "bad for business," especially when that information is perfectly legal.

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Beware - Purchase a Product From Toys R Us and It May Be Bad Luck For You

By Disgusted Grandpa - 02/07/2010

MENTOR OHIO, OHIO -- In November 2009, we purchased several toys from the Mentor, OH, Toys R Us store. These toys were purchased for our 4 year old grandson who we knew would be visiting us in February 2010 from the UK. All of these toys were gift wrapped as birthday presents and sat in their boxes in our home until he arrived for his visit on Feb 5th.

One of the products was an Animal Planet Remote Control Dinosaur. After installing the batteries into the product, the product worked okay for about 5 minutes and then quit moving. We tried more new batteries, but the product was defective. As consumers, we realize such things might happen and that it was not the store's fault. But since we had purchased it from what we thought was a reputable superstore, we expected that we could return it promptly to the same Toys R US store for an exchange or a credit towards an equivalent product. We had retained the cash register receipts.

To our absolute disgust, the Toys R Us store manager refused to accept the product for either a credit or exchange, and instead cited a store policy of no returns or exchanges after 90 days. We explained the product was purchased as a gift and that it was only opened 2 days ago when our grandson arrived (he accompanied us to the store when we tried to exchange the product). We were not expecting any money back, just an exchange, or if Toys R US did not have that product in stock, we would be willing to purchase an equivalent or more expensive product.

Nevertheless, the store manager would not move on the company's position. We asked to see her supervisor and we were declined that opportunity. Thus, we left the store with a defective product, a sad grandson, and a highly tainted opinion of Toys R Us. As a consumer we have learned a hard lesson… take heed when doing business with Toys R Us.

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Terrible Customer Service... RUDE!

By never shop at Toys R Us again - 12/19/2009

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS -- I called Toys R Us trying to confirm if an order was ready for pick up at the San Antonio, Texas Toys R Us Store. Order # ** was purchased using their store to store purchasing from inside the Huntington Beach Toys R Us Store on 12-18-09 at 9:19 pm. The item was supposed to be available for pick up at store #7032. Toys R Us/Kids R Us - San Antonio [7032], 7140 Blanco Road, San Antonio, TX 78216. Phone: (210) 525-8697.

When I tried to call and confirm if the order was ready for pick up, I was told they don't have that service! I was shocked since I had already paid for it at our Toys R Us store here! This was the response I got to my e-mail from their online customer service:

“Thank you for contacting the "R" Us Team regarding this matter. We apologize, but as we use the United States Postal Service, for tracking needs you may wish to contact them regarding this matter as they would have more specific details about this order. We apologize, but that may be the best course of action. Feel free to contact the San Antonio store you referenced as they may have that item already in the store. We appreciate the time you have taken to contact the "R" Us Team and apologize that we are unable to assist in this matter.”

They obviously misunderstood that we paid at our local Toys R Us store here in Huntington Beach, California and my son was supposed to pick up the item at their store in San Antonio, Texas. This was my response back to them:

“He already picked the item up at the San Antonio store today. The person that answered the phone at that store was very RUDE to me, and also the same person was very RUDE to my son when he arrived there to pick up the item. Even if shipping store to store is not their regular policy, that doesn't mean that we should be treated with an attitude by the clerk at the store. It was the Assistant manager at our local store that suggested we pay here and have them pick up at their local Toys R Us store there in San Antonio. She was actually quite helpful.

It is very unfortunate that the San Antonio Toys R Us treats their customers this way. Obviously, they do not value our business! We have many grandchildren we buy for regularly, but we do not plan to shop at Toys R Us any longer if this is how we are going to be treated! We will be forwarding this on to your corporate office!”

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Canadian Toys R Us Service - Just As Bad

By CanadianMom - 03/19/2009

RICHMOND HILL, ON -- I had just about the worst customer service experience of my life yesterday upon trying to return an organic cotton crib mattress cover to our local TRU. We had our first baby, a 4 month old girl, and have our baby registry at TRU. We've had several baby showers, and have probably directed over $1000 in gift card and product revenue to the company, and I regularly shop at my local TRU Richmond Hill, Ontario store.

I recently purchased a $300 crib mattress there. The crib mattress manufacturer details & sheet in the display claimed it was made of "organic cotton", and also recommended an organic cotton mattress cover be used with the mattress. So I purchased a special cover for $26.99. Upon bringing the items home, I tried to fit the cover on the mattress, and it was too small. I even pulled the mattress out of the crib and forcefully tried to stretch the cover onto it, to no avail. It was simply too small to fit onto a regular crib mattress. I put the item back in the packaging and kept the receipt.

I tried to return the item quickly but due to travel and finding the time to go back to a store with a baby at home, I only went back to the store over a month later. If any of you have seen organic cotton, you know the fabric a bit more tufted and rough and not as "bright white" and soft as regular cotton. When I brought the item to the return desk, the manager said the item was "obviously used", and refused to give me a store credit without a receipt. I then produced the receipt, and he accused me of washing the item and trying to return it! This would imply it was actually usable!

I explained to him several times it was defective, and didn't fit the crib mattress I bought at Toys R Us. I wouldn't even have bought it if not for the recommendation at their crib mattress display. But he refused to credit me for the item. I am so angry and disappointed at this store, as we still have many gift cards for TRU. I was also planning to purchase more expensive baby items from the store the night I was so rudely treated.

The worst part is being accused of lying and somehow trying to scam them for a $26 item, and turning a blind eye to the hundreds of dollars I spent at this store (I still have our baby registry there!) I'm going to take pains to take my business to Sears and Walmart in the future where I haven't had to deal with this crap!!